The celebrations for some continue on.... For the rest of us, there is always next season.
The team that won the grand final is pictured below and my wrap on the Men's Premier League Grand Finals (I saw all of them) follows. Some content sourced from Capital Football - well done Russ Gibbs, Media Liaison Officer for the very timely results updates on the CF website all season - it made a big difference.
Men's Premier League Grand Finals 2010
Men's PL 16
Canberra Olympic 4 (Yusef Kamara 13’, 16’, Danny Brice 36’, Michael Bornholt 84’) Woden Valley 2 (Petar Varga 7’, Darcy Crosthwaite 72’)
Two of the best young teams going around they were a pleasure to watch each week. Congratulations to two very fine coaches.
Canberra Olympic: 1. Matteo Di Giannicola (gk), 2. Steve Tadic, 3. Michael Mauito, 4. Tom Tadic, 5. Daniel Giovinazzo, 6. Ben Plunkett, 7. Jeremy Habtemariam, 8. Yusef Kamara, 9. Josh Ratnam, 10. Billy Illeris, 11. Jock McDonnell, 12. Michael Bornholt, 13. Matt Murcutt, 16. Danny Brice, 17. Oli Brown
Woden Valley: 1. Rory Larkin (gk), 2. Sam Ossato, 3. Josh Calabria, 5. Josh Lind, 6. Jake Wilsener, 7. Regan Walsh, 8. Nathan Swientek, 9. Petar Varga, 10. Alex Popovich, 11. Josh Gregory, 12. Damiano Luzzi, 14. Darcy Crosthwaite, 15. Eliot Bassili, 16. Mohammed Al-Althari, 17. Jordan Tsekenis, 111. Andrew Ciszek
Men's PL18
Tuggeranong United 3 (Andrew Lawrence 73’, 86’, Sam Ramey 84’) Woden Valley 2 (Jonathan Kipnis 8’, Adrian Canizares 65’ (pen))
Tuggeranong United: 1. Callum Hogan (gk), 2. Jordan Carige, 4. Ian Gower, 5. Cameron Moutrey, 7. Andrew Lawrence, 9. Tristan Anderson (15. Sean Kiddey), 10. Cameron Doherty (6. Tim Dehelean), 11. Steven Klug, 12. Oscar Ignetik (3. Joe Campbell), 14. Michael Pritchard (8. Sam Ramey), 16. Jordan Lamb
Woden Valley: 1. Jacob Cole (gk), 2. Matthew Kocic, 3. Nic Connell, 4. Evan Dawson (Regan Walsh), 5. Matthew Salaysay, 7. Steven Lee, 8. Nick Kramer (16. Julien Renard), 10. Milenko Novakovic (9. Petar Varga), 11. Jonathan Kipnis, 14. Adrian Canizares, 15. Arden Law
Men's Premier League Pathways
Woden Valley 4 (Chris Ruiz 16’, Lachlan Nicholls 33’, Bensah Afiabo 61’, Gary Alexander 75’) Belconnen United 1 (Josh Sands 68’)
Woden Valley: 1. Elliott Duncan (gk), 3. Reece Vlazlovski (13. Ikenna Moneke), 4. Andrew Kiley (15. Steve Masters), 6. Chris Ruiz, 7. Lukas Cole, 9. Bensah Afiabo (2. Adrian Stroh), 10. Tom Hirst, 11. Jordyn Nayna, 12. Lachlan Nicholls, 14. Gary Alexander (8. Nick Tsakiris), 17. Grant Davoren
Belconnen United: 1. Keegan Jackson (gk), 2. Eamon Ritchie, 3. Glen Smith, 4. Joshua Shippley, 5. Sam Wynn, 6. Joel Sverdrupsen (14. Josh Sands), 7. Jason O’Dwyer (12. Matthew Phillips), 8. Michael Reeve, 9. Matthew Grayson (13. Lukasz Bednark), 10. Callum Smith, 11. Joshua Broekhuyse (16. John Colley)
Men's Premier League
Canberra FC 6 (Danai Gapare 2’, 45’, Adam Spaleta 9’, 63’, Matt Grbesa 18’, Alex Castro 37’) Belconnen United 0
Canberra FC: 18. Ben Klug (gk), 4. Marcin Zygmunt, 6. Alex Castro (12. Ian Graham), 7. Paul Ivanic (14. Josip Jadric), 8. Matt Grbesa, 10. Stephen Lee, 15. Danai Gapare, 17. Aidan Brunskill, 19. Adam Spaleta (3. Jordan Whittiker), 21. Victor Yanes, 22. Jon Ison
Belconnen United: 1. Rohan Shepherd (gk), 2. Matt Valeri (18. Jason O’Dwyer), 3. Dustin Wells, 5. Taylor Beaton, 6. Phil Borgeaud (4. Lee Pietrukowski), 7. Callum Beaton, 8. Cameron Reinhart, 10. Danny Macor, 11. David Kemp, 12. Jack Blackley (9. Tai Smith), 19. David Arranz
The Men's Grand Final follows..
The Mens grand finals were a mixed bag. The day ended in sensational fashion. Read on...
The PL 16s saw two first rate teams in Woden Valley and Canberra Olympic play very good football, just as they had done for most of the season. Both teams are fortunate to have first rate coaches. It was a very good standard of football that would have got the tick in the box from Han Berger. It was a good win to Olympic, left no one in any doubt they were just a bit better on the day and for good measure, played in perfect weather on a flat pitch, which isn’t always the case for PL16 games during the season. It was delight to watch. A ggreat way to start a big weekend of football.
The PL18s was noteworthy for the drama and desperation of the struggle to win, rather than the quality of the football. Tuggeranong won a dour affair, a game that was influenced more by the high winds, endless turnover of possession and long balls, rather than the sort of football the FFA Techncial Director might hope to see at this level. That said, it was good theatre and plenty of passion. Woden found itself 2:0 in front and probably counted itself lucky to be in this position, going into the second half with more than a hope they could win the GF. The Woden Coaching brains (and they are a pretty smart lot) trust knew only too well that they would need all the luck they could get to beat a Tuggeranong team that had finished strongly to the end of the competition rounds, while Woden had the "collie wobbles", with a playing roster that was now paper thin. Faced with the real prospect of defeat in the second half, the Tuggeranong coach changed his structure to 1-4-3-3 in order to chase the goals, but it didn’t quite work for him and Woden seemed to gather a bit more momentum by way of more possession. This was a relief for the spectators, who were getting sore eyeballs watching the never ending turnover of possession. Woden were holding on for dear life and Tuggeranong were doing all they could to chase a goal. Tuggeranong would just not go away! Coaches were beside themselves, finding it hard to influence the game, as the game just took off in its own direction. Then it happened. Someone hit the gong for Woden and it all came tumbling down before our eyes – a dubious call for a second yellow on a Woden player, saw them down to 10 players at the worst possible time. The Tuggeranong coach's change in structure now seemed to begin to work for him and the momentum of the game went with his team. Woden had nothing left in the locker, nothing more to influence the game. Goals came. Strange how things can change – or perhaps it illustrates just how finely balanced this game had really been all along. The send off incident was quickly followed by a dreadful head collision between a player from each team, as they went for a high ball, knocked rotten and bleeding, necessitating their removal from the game (both recovered on the sidelines). There was a substantial break in the game. This works for some teams and not for others and I guess it depends on circmstances of the game at the time. Woden never recovered from the loss of another important player or the break in concentration. Injuries, illness, suspension and send off had finally done for Woden minutes before the end of the GF. It had been that close! Tuggeranong recomposed themselves and stormed home to take the GF. Not a pretty game, but lots of action. It had everyone watching. Entertaining, yes, but not for the purist and perhaps not every week thankyou!
The Mens PL Pathways was quite a remarkable game.
Belconnen v Woden Valley lined up against each other, and Belconnen must have felt they were a real chance of victory following their clashes through the season. I recall the Belconnen Coah steering his team materfully to a Pathways GF win over a highly regarded ACTAS side a couple of years ago. Belconnen had experience to burn! Woden Valley, playing the 1-4-3-3 all season saved their best for last. A lot of things have changed at Woden Valley FC this season and all for the good of the young players. It all came together in that game, after months and months of work which had begun in last year’s Summer 20s, through a specialist techncial coaching program with Coerver (and it was really good!) then on to a range of fixtures with Clubs in NSW as part of the preseason preparation. Lots of football. Woden made this playing system sing, it was like watching a little master class for the FFA, demonstrating the way ahead via the national football curriculum. Han Berger would have been jumping for joy over this game. Belconnen were industrious but this was not their day, they were firmly shut out of the game by a superior football performance. It was the first time a Woden Valley PL team had secured a Grand Final victory. This game alone was the one worth the price of admission. Good thing too, because what followed probably justified a refund! But I get ahead of myself.
The Mens PL game was a great disappointment. Not if you are CFC support of course, but there is more to this game than the result for football int he ACT region. CFC were the benchmark team for all Pl teams this season. Simple as that! But CFC didn;t always play like they were the best, nor were they necessarily the best to watch. But good enough to keep winning on the back of some truly wonderful football players. The history of these two teams in 2010 indicated that this just had to be a close contest, a real heavy duty contest. Both Coaches are clever and crafty fellows and both teams know each other very well. No surprises you would think. That was my view before the match started. I could hardly wait for this game to get going!
Belconnen must have fancied there chances after dragging CFC to extra time in the preliminary finals. CFC have not had a smooth running season, sacking the coach before he lost a game, rumours of unhappiness in the playing squad and unhappiness with the players by the Club officials, the roster seemingly at its lowest ebb in a while, with a number of players not available and a style of play that seemed to be dangerously reliant on the moments of football inspiration from a small core of highly talented players, as opposed to some discernable or coherent system and style of play. And yet, they had held off every other team for the premiership title again. How good could they be if they got their act together people would say, and they said that a lot this season, even when they were winning!
Well , for one game, yes one game in a season, we found out! Looking as fluid, purposeful and menacing as a team could be for 45 minutes, CFC sliced and diced a good Belconnen Team. I cannot overstate just how dominant the CFC team was in the first half, their movement, passing, support and finishing was dazzling. It seemed like they had 20 players out there. Just amazing. They took everyone at the game by surprise and any CFC support who says otherwise is telling a fib.
I haven’t seen anything close to that this season. Why have they been unable to do this more this season? Makes no sense to me and raises more questions than it answers. The game was gone from vision at half time with a score of 5:0 to CFC. Unbelievable! Unstoppable! If this was a horse race you call in the stewards!
Sadly, the rest of the game was a waste of time. One wag in the crowd cried out for the basketball “mercy rule” to be applied and game ended. CFC had done enough, they had crushed their opponent and in that realistation, simply went through the motions. Who could blame them. Perhaps they were a bit in awe of their own performance. I don’t know, but I wanted my admission charge refunded.
What motivated the CFC players? Was it monetary reward for one game, was that it? Was it the week off that heped them rediscover their true footballing self? I want to know, because if its something other than monetary reward, I’d like a bottle of it for my club next season. This was the most impressive 45 minutes of football from an ACT PL team I can reall in recent years. If you want a point of comparison, it was of the standard (well for one half of a game anyway) produced by that incredible Japanese High School team from Nara we were treated to earlier this year.
The following day, some supporters of CFC declared that going back to the NSW Premier League was now the only logical next move for this club. Predictable I suppose and not without some substance. Well, good if they do and if they want to, go and do it. Don’t just talk about it. They have the personnel and resources to do it.
I don’t blame CFC for the game that it was, any more than I am angry with Belconnen. We were all hit by a football force of nature for 45 minutes and I for one have not yet recovered.